Why are there so few roads between Orange and Riverside counties (Los Angeles: apartment, living in)

[BillyBobJoeBobWilly]

Is this an enviromental thing or what? Mountians prevent new roads being built?

We are trying to move to SoCal but the costs are just crazy. We wouldn't mind living in Riverside county (Corona or Riverside) but the drive to the OC is a headache I've heard.

What to do?? Why are there not more roads going to Riverside county from the OC and back?

What if there was an emergency in OC where people needed to evacuate? Some natural disaster, how would people get out?

Thanks in advance,

[wrcousert]

EnvironMENTALists are preventing additional roads from being built. Sucks. We need more roads from southwest Riverside County to Orange County. The Ortega Highway is only one lane wide in each direction and probably won't ever be widened.

There's been talk about a tunnel, but it will cost billions and probably will never happen.

If you move to Corona or Riverside, Metrolink is an option, but that's being cut back due to budget problems in the state.

Do you plan to work in Orange County? If so, do you really want to commute up to two hours each way?

[Charles]

There is the 91 but that is a pretty high traffic road. Otherwise, yes there are mountains, the 241 is looking to be extended, and a lot of the south side of OC is residential so commuters from Riverside most likely are heading jobs in Irvine, or southern OC or north to southern LA county.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by BillyBobJoeBobWilly

What to do?? Why are there not more roads going to Riverside county from the OC and back?

1. The Santa Ana Mountains
2. The Cleveland National Forest

Originally Posted by BillyBobJoeBobWilly

What if there was an emergency in OC where people needed to evacuate? Some natural disaster, how would people get out?

Look at a road map.

[BillyBobJoeBobWilly]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Look at a road map.

Thanks for the assinine response. I lived in Socal for 6 years and know the area well, don't have to look at a map, smart azz.


Anyone in the area knows if there's a natural disaster in the OC there's no way in he77 that people could get out in any reasonable span of time. Just look at rush hour backup and that's just commuters.

[Fontucky]

If you already "know" the answer, why did you ask?

[BillyBobJoeBobWilly]

Originally Posted by wrcousert

EnvironMENTALists are preventing additional roads from being built. Sucks. We need more roads from southwest Riverside County to Orange County. The Ortega Highway is only one lane wide in each direction and probably won't ever be widened.

There's been talk about a tunnel, but it will cost billions and probably will never happen.

If you move to Corona or Riverside, Metrolink is an option, but that's being cut back due to budget problems in the state.

Do you plan to work in Orange County? If so, do you really want to commute up to two hours each way?

No, don't want to drive 2 hours each way.. Sigh, this is really a biatch. The only other alternative is if my future boss allowed offset work hours.

[BillyBobJoeBobWilly]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

If you already "know" the answer, why did you ask?

I didn't know the answer.. Please follow the program dude.

I lived on the Tustin/Newport Beach border and rented a 2 bedroom apartment for 700.00 a month (on 16th street). I worked in Anaheim so I had no issues traffic wise since the heavy flows were always going the other way. So, I had/have no idea of the reasons about the road issues between Riverside county and OC. That's why I asked.

[Fontucky]

My original answer addressed your question... evacuation of OC during a time of natural disaster will take place on the existing roads, assuming the disaster isn't the type that destroys roads. If that happens, nobody leaves.

For some reason, you chose to take offense to my answer. That's not my problem, it's yours. Maybe next time I should include a bunch of smiley faces and glittering butterflies so you don't get all butthurt.

[Voyageur]

If a natural disaster hits Orange County and everyone has to flee, every single freeway, highway, road, track and path is going to be jam packed, whether or not another route is built across the Santa Ana Mountains.

There is environmental opposition to building more and wider roads through the mountains.

There is financial opposition to spending eight figures just so people can conveniently live 50 miles from their job.

There are safety concerns about building a tunnel through the mountains.

There are significant engineering issues to widening the Ortega Highway, which isn't simply narrow but far more winding than an expressway should be, and in various places barely fits on mountainsides and in tight canyons.

Look around the greater Los Angeles Basin; there's not a lot of routes between I-15 and Highway 14 on either side of the San Gabriels, either. There's the inconveniently narrow and winding Little Tujunga Road and Angeles Forest Highway. Then there's the equally winding Angeles Crest, which is closed every winter for half the year, and was closed by landslides for four years until 2009.

There's a lesson here - expect hassles if you insist on living on the other side of a mountain range from your work.